It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

---

– 1 –

“Is there really no possibility that they were lovers?”

“A debauched noble lady and a debauched noble young man? That sounds too idealistic.”

“I wasn’t being serious.”

Maria’s question was born from a desire to check, but what returned to her was Elena’s cynicism.

To that, Maria simply nodded her head.

Having interacted with nobles quite a bit, she knew that they weren’t as noble or remarkable as they appeared on the surface.

[Do what you’re good at and let me know. Then, I’ll evaluate him.]

Unlike Libertus.

‘Now that I think about it, you easily accepted this matter too.’

Originally, Talhan or his subordinate was supposed to come here.

However, those responsible for “information” were busy keeping a close eye on whether the human nations or nearby dungeons noticed any signs before and after the war.

Because of that, Maria was able to escape from the dungeon before the war began and made her way here.

[I’ll go.]

It was her volunteering.

After all, she wasn’t of much help in terms of power, so she thought it would be better to be of assistance in a troublesome and annoying matter.

To be honest, she worried that her betrayal or escape might be refused.

[Then go ahead.]

Libertus simply accepted with ease.

As if such a thought didn’t even cross his mind.

‘That was quite enjoyable. But…’

Thus, she began her long-awaited walking journey as she escaped a cave shaped like a mansion.

A sword hung at her waist. The free wind. Her legs, slightly weakened but still firmly supporting her.

Everything felt incredibly pleasant.

‘It’s time to go back.’

However, she would return.

‘Because they’ll be waiting for me.’

Now that place was her home.

She didn’t know why she started to think that way, but for some time now, she felt that she had to be next to Libertus.

Emotions were stirred, so attaching a reason to it wasn’t difficult.

There were several reasons, but one stood as the most representative.

[Take care on your journey.]

Libertus was someone who gave her the “desire to rely on” that she had rarely felt while she lived so fiercely.

“Is the Lady in good health?”

“Yes. I heard the war ended with little damage.”

“Indeed. That person wouldn’t be harmed.”

So, she had to return.

Her master would be hoping for the return of her bloodline.

[Stay healthy.]

If not, he would be saddened.

‘Definitely…’

There was one question she had to ask.

– 2 –

When I first began to perceive the world through mana, it surprised me by revealing its hidden form.

The sight of mana filling the entire world and dancing in its own way from all directions felt like being submerged in a place brimming with blue flowers and water.

And this world I saw now was astonishing in another way.

“‘There is a god in everything’…”

A saying derived from Japan’s polytheistic beliefs.

I was truly feeling that saying now.

“It’s from the Western Continent’s Huah Kingdom.”

“You know it.”

“Of course. It was one of the phrases I concentrated on developing this sense. Hmm. Though, that ultimately failed.”

“Yeah…”

Nodding absentmindedly to Mur’s words, I tried to remember every sight my eyes beheld.

The view was truly fantastical.

The sight of every object, every spirit flitting about.

The scenery overlapping reality and another world was extraordinary.

– Huh?

“Hello.”

On the ground, a little brown figure peeked out and stared at me warily.

A little spirit cultivating the earth inside this dungeon cave, refusing to forget its essence even in a state suppressed by the dungeon’s energy.

“Come here.”

– Huh!

As my hand approached, it crouched in fear.

But soon, it stretched out again. Its eyes held a mix of wariness, fear, and curiosity.

Instinctively, I drew forth my mana and infused it into the spirit.

– Whoo…!

“Now, you seem alright.”

The spirit clinging to my finger had darkened a bit compared to before, but it looked far more comfortable than it had moments ago.

It creates a land that is hostile to humans but friendly to demons.

Humans label it as “corrupted,” while demons merely call it “different.”

That’s the kind of spirit it is.

– Owowow…

I could see that too.

Its essence hadn’t changed.

The spirit still cultivated the land and made it fertile.

Only the goal had changed.

The magical realm transformation here would be faster and easier.

– Huuuu…

Then, by instinctive judgment, as I shifted my sight, another aspect of the spiritual world began to come into view.

– Kuru…!

– Me… me me me me!

Amidst the skeletons and all around me, various wraiths continued to swirl.

What they were harboring was resentment and curses, but they weren’t too eerie or frightening.

That feeling was the source of my power, after all.

– The curse…!

– Kihihit!

However, directly killed souls aside, I needed to appropriately suppress those who died under indirect orders.

They didn’t seem to be having a good influence on my summons.

It’s fine for now, but it was evident that problems would arise in the long run.

“‘Come forth.’”

A command imbued with mana.

With just that one phrase, the atmosphere within the dungeon shifted.

Swoosh…!

All the air currents converged into a single point.

It began to form a black sphere at the tip of my finger.

– Ugh, ugh, uah…!

The sphere of souls created by gathering all the evil spirits present in the dungeon was tempered with deep resentment that could easily kill many people and hatred that could corrupt any entity in no time.

And that soon meant, for the necromancer, it was like a potion.

“Wonderful…!”

As it looked at me, praising with sparkling eyes, Mur’s gaze tinged with subtle greed toward the sphere confirmed that.

Of course, if I gave this to her, I could gain temporary goodwill…

But for now, I was in no position to afford such luxuries.

– Kyaaaaaah!!

With a scream, all of that resentment, hatred, anger, and evil was absorbed into me.

I could kill dozens of people easily with it, but it wouldn’t affect me in the slightest.

It’s not that I found it unpleasant.

Even if I weren’t a Dungeon Lord or necromancer, it would probably be the same; that much knowledge in my head is affirming that.

‘That just means I’m that abnormal.’

But I wasn’t in a state of mind to be upset about that.

I wasn’t foolish enough to dwell on facts I had already grown accustomed to.

[Attribute – …Mana 74 (◀ 71)…]
[Characteristic – …Specialization: Soul Magic…]

New attributes and characteristics were added.

The mana was as I expected, but the soul magic was a bit unexpected.

This was the magic that wraiths used to turn souls into specters.

Thus, from now on, I would be able to summon and control wraiths much more smoothly.

If I could also obtain their “Possession,” it would make seducing the living much easier, but…

‘I don’t feel like it.’

The peculiar trait of possession manifests in the patterns that appear on the abdomen.

In the cases of Scarlett and Mari, even though they’re ordinary wraiths who cannot utilize this magic, the patterns remain in a distinctly irrepressible form.

I could feel that ‘nobility’ was the most off-putting aspect, and I didn’t quite like it either.

“The new world I’ve seen is magnificent.”

“I’m glad if you found it satisfactory.”

Mur seemed a little disappointed for a moment but quickly shook off that feeling.

As she faced my smile, she bowed deeply and retracted her mana from me.

“Are you trying to get me accustomed to sensations like this?”

‘The sight’ remained for a while, but gradually dispersed.

However, that sense still lingered, so with just a few more practice sessions, it seemed like I would be able to cement that ‘new sight.’

The senior necromancer had a similar opinion.

“Today was close to a preview, but you seem to have refined your sensibility in handling souls much more precisely. You’re truly an excellent student.”

“Thanks. You’re an excellent teacher too.”

As I exchanged compliments, she revealed a subtly bitter smile.

It was a grin that suggested I understood what she was thinking.

A hint of jealousy and longing.

“I think it’s more about your talent overshadowing that of the teacher.”

“If a disciple has the insight to know what’s lacking in them, that makes for an excellent teacher. Who else could be considered excellent?”

As I said that once more, she bit her lip slightly and smiled.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Saying that, she bowed deeply.

No matter how I looked at it, she seemed to be deeply pensive, but I merely nodded in reply.

I didn’t have any desires regarding her yet. We hadn’t conversed enough.

– 3 –

The castle Gremit, defending the north of the royal capital Hailrash.

Hailey, the wife of the House of Shum who governed Gremit, was living a much more vibrant and fulfilling life than before lately.

This was partly because she was doing more work than before and partly because she had found a new value in life.

However, at the center of all that fulfillment was in serving the ‘true queen’ instead of the pitiful human king or the ‘fakes’ who proclaimed themselves kings in the underworld.

“There seem to be more parties these days, my lady.”

The expression of the lady couldn’t be missed by her husband, Baron Shum.

Frowning, he was worried and suspicious about his wife’s increasing extravagance recently.

Though the Shum couple had connected with underworld traders to amass wealth, that wealth was still at a level that was justifiable for a baron’s house.

However, these days, Hailey was mixing with all sorts of people from various noble circles and flaunting her wealth.

It was only natural for him to worry about other people’s suspicions.

‘Where on earth did that gold coin come from?’

Without even touching the House of Shum’s assets.

Gerald was beginning to worry that Hailey might have meddled with something she shouldn’t have.

It was a coincidence, but that speculation was close to the truth.

It wasn’t about meddling; it was that something had been placed on top of her hand.

“Your concern is understandable. But it’s okay, Jerry. There’s meaning behind all of this.”

“Shouldn’t I, as your husband, know what that meaning is?”

“Well, that’s true…”

Hailey’s expression grew slightly darker.

Although it was a magnificent and joyful secret that she served a true master, it felt uncomfortable betraying the trust of her husband, who hadn’t had a bad relationship with her as a life partner.

“So, Jerry.”

“Hmm?”

Still, that was until now.

Recently, she had received joyous news from her master.

“Why don’t we take a family outing after a long time?”

“Suddenly? Is that related to our current situation?”

“Yes, exactly. Actually…”

Lowering her voice to whisper, she caught her husband’s ear, and soon, a smile naturally emerged that he couldn’t hide as her voice flowed out.

“An ancient great dragon might visit our spire.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, our family will be riding on the back of that dragon.”

What Hailey said meant that wonderful opportunities for their children would arise.

It implied that the other family was of such high stature that even for a son, it would be worthy of entering as a son-in-law.

However, just having connections with such a high family itself was an enormous blessing for an ordinary baron’s house.

“This is a celebration…! So this outing?”

“Yes. We’re going to meet the dragon.”

“Ah. I feel like we need to prepare a lot.”

“No need for that. She said everything is prepared; we just have to show up.”

“How could she be so considerate!”

Smiling, Gerald couldn’t begin to guess.

In truth, what Hailey was referring to was that they would offer their children to the Dungeon Lord to pledge loyalty and wholly bind their family to the dungeon.

To suspect such a thing, they had shared a harmonious life for too long.

“We’ll set out right away tomorrow. The sooner, the better for good news!”

“It seems we’re on the same page! In fact, I’ve already prepared everything!”

“Of course, my lady!”

Even Hailey herself saw it as merely a deepened version of “finding a spouse,” which was entirely natural.

‘If we could gain even more of my master’s grace…’

She hoped her children would catch her master’s eye and receive even greater blessings.

If that were the case, and they could draw closer in the future…

‘… perhaps the Underworld Trading Company could become obsolete.’

She thought this.

It was two days before the death of two out of the three Dungeon Lords after the war in the dungeon had ended.